The present invention relates to systems for measuring systolic and diastolic time intervals. In particular, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for noninvasively determining systolic and diastolic time intervals.
The heart goes through cyclic changes as it contracts and relaxes. Systole is the contraction of cardiac muscle and diastole is the relaxation of cardiac muscle. Both are ventricular by convention. The cardiac cycle is commonly divided into four phases. Filling occurs when the ventricles fill with blood via open atrio-ventricular (A-V) valves. Isovolumic contraction occurs when the ventricles contract and generate pressure, which closes the A-V valves, but the volume does not change. Ejection occurs when the ventricular pressures exceed aortic/pulmonary atrial pressures, and the respective aortic/pulmonic valves open and blood is ejected. Isovolumic relaxation occurs when ventricular pressures fall below aortic/pulmonary arterial pressures, the respective valves then close, and ventricular pressures continue to fall without changing volume. This continues until ventricular pressures fall below pulmonary venous/central venous pressures.
During diastole, the mitral valve is open so that the left atrial and left ventricular pressures are equal. In late diastole, left atrial contraction causes a small rise in pressure in both the left atrium and left ventricle. The onset of ventricular mechanical systole is marked by the initiation of left ventricular contraction. As the left ventricular pressure rises and exceeds that of the left atrium, the mitral valve closes, contributing to the first heart sound. As left ventricular pressure rises above the aortic pressure, the aortic valve opens, which is a silent event. As the ventricle begins to relax and its pressure falls below that of the aorta, the aortic valve closes, contributing to the second heart sound. As left ventricular pressure falls further below that of the left atrium, the mitral valve opens, which is another silent event in the normal heart. These cardiac time intervals can provide important insights into cardiac disease states.
One approach to early detection of cardiovascular disease is through measuring changes in systolic and diastolic time intervals. Present methods require highly invasive procedures that are expensive and risky to the patient. A less invasive or noninvasive procedure for measuring cardiac time intervals would be very advantageous to both the cost and risk factor.
Medwave, Inc. the assignee of the present invention, has developed non-invasive blood pressure measurement methods and devices which are described in the following United States patents and applications, hereby incorporated by reference: U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,542 entitled CONTINUOUS NON-INVASIVE BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM; U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,852 entitled CONTINUOUS NON-INVASIVE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM; U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,964 entitled WRIST MOUNTED BLOOD PRESSURE SENSOR; U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,292 entitled BEAT ONSET DETECTOR; U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,103 entitled SEGMENTED ESTIMATION METHOD; U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,414 entitled CONTINUOUS NON-INVASIVE BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM; U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,733 entitled BLOOD PRESSURE SENSOR LOCATOR; U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,850 entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CALCULATING BLOOD PRESSURE OF AN ARTERY; U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,828 entitled HAND-HELD NON-INVASIVE BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENT DEVICE; U.S. Pat. No. 6,132,382 entitled NON-INVASIVE BLOOD PRESSURE SENSOR WITH MOTION ARTIFACT REDUCTION; U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,679 entitled NON-INVASIVE BLOOD PRESSURE SENSING DEVICE AND METHOD USING TRANSDUCER WITH ASSOCIATED MEMORY; U.S. Pat. No. 6,245,022 entitled NON-INVASIVE BLOOD PRESSURE SENSOR WITH MOTION ARTIFACE REDUCTION AND CONSTANT GAIN ADJUSTMENT DURING PRESSURE PULSES; U.S. Pat. No. 6,340,349 entitled HAND-FIELD NON-INVASIVE BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENT DEVICE; U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,646 entitled BLOOD PRESSURE COLLECTION SYSTEM; U.S. Pat. No. D458,375 entitled BLOOD PRESSURE SENSOR; U.S. application Ser. No. 09/721,216 entitled WRIST-MOUNTED BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENT DEVICE; U.S. application Ser. No. 09/594,051 entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CALCULATING BLOOD PRESSURE OF AN ARTERY; and U.S. application Ser. No. 10/081,574 entitled DISPOSABLE NON-INVASIVE BLOOD PRESSURE SENSOR. The Vasotrac system by MedWave Inc. measures, noninvasively and continuously, radial pulse blood pressure values and displays the radial pulse wave characteristics.
Information on cardiac time intervals and their applicability to noninvasively assess cardiac function has been the focus of numerous studies. For instance, Vivekananthan et. al. showed that noninvasive diagnostic markers may be clinically useful in evaluating and following cardiac allograft rejection. (Am J Cardiol 2002; 90:517–520). Increased efforts have been directed in extracting valuable diagnostic information from noninvasive means of physiological parameter monitoring.